Mohit Suri Reveals Saiyaara’s Unconventional Success Story

Filmmaker Mohit Suri has revealed that debutant Ahaan Panday was not his first choice for Saiyaara and was initially rejected for the role that eventually marked the actor’s breakthrough.

Released last year, Saiyaara emerged as a success at the box office and connected strongly with audiences through its emotional narrative. The film also helped Ahaan Panday build a noticeable fan following, particularly among younger viewers. However, Suri shared that his early meetings with the newcomer did not align with what he had imagined for the character.

Recalling their first interaction, which happened at the suggestion of Aditya Chopra, Suri said the actor initially appeared too gentle for the role. “He comes there, and I didn’t find him like Krish Kapoor at all. I found him to be a sweet, really soft boy. So I told Adi sir, ‘He is not the kind of guy.’ And we did spend two or three meetings where I actually completely rejected him,” Suri said.

The director added that his opinion shifted during a later interaction outside a formal meeting setting. “I think that’s when he stopped pretending to impress me, and we just went out like normal people. And suddenly that night, I saw him come alive. Because by the end of the night, I can’t talk about the details, but he was standing at the bar. And he was pretty much like Krish Kapoor,” he said.

Suri also pointed out a personal connection between their families that goes back years. “My father and his father were surprisingly friends when my father was probably my age, and his dad was probably his age. And that’s weird, because I remember meeting his dad. He was probably not even born at that time,” he said.

During the same conversation, Mohit Suri reflected on the film’s unconventional promotional strategy and how it received appreciation from Shah Rukh Khan. The filmmaker recalled meeting the actor at a Diwali gathering hosted by Siddharth Anand. “They were doing their bit but not the regular interviews, marketing and other stuff. This is not a PR thing. The great Shah Rukh Khan, when he met me at Siddharth Anand’s Diwali party, said this is the best thing we did.”

Explaining the approach further, Suri said the team focused heavily on promoting the film’s music rather than relying on conventional publicity formats. “Because we didn’t have stars, we concentrated on making great music. We spent more time promoting the music. We did not promote it through interviews or by sending the actors out, as everyone does. We spent that money on pushing the music instead. And it all paid back. It all went very authentic.”

The strategy, he suggested, played a key role in shaping the film’s connection with audiences and contributed to its overall reception.